Trevor’s Week for 2nd February 2017

We have had yet another stunning buzzard come into care this week after being found in the middle of Burwash Road, Heathfield. In the pouring rain, he was found at the side of the road. The finders picked him up and brought him to our hospital. Casualty Managers Chris Riddington and Katie Nunn Nash assessed the bird of prey and gave him fluids and bedded down after initial treatment. There were no obvious injury but primarily seem underweight. We are building his weight up slowly and hope he will fully recover.

Ambulances have responded to a variety of calls this week including a pigeon with an injured wing in Green Acre Drive Ringer. Just after 10pm WRAS took a call regarding a gull in Newhaven. It was reported to be in a stairwell in a multi-storey car park. Rescuers Laura and Gemma accompanied by Casualty Manager Katie attended and after searching the area found the poor bird. Suffering from a nasty broken wing, he was taken straight to our vet and had to be put to sleep.

We have received a certificate from Pet Plan to say we have been nominated for the Animal Charity Team of the Year 2017. We will wait to see if we win, but we are up against quite a few other very good charities.

We were called to help rescue a pigeon from inside the roof of Bexhill’s Next Store. Originally there were reports of two being present but only one could be found. Rescuer Chris Riddington and I attended the store. We left food and water on a window ledge to encourage the pigeons through a removed ceiling tile into an office and returned the following day to attempt a capture. When we returned we set up a hatch which could block them into the office and prevent them from flying back into the ceiling. Amazingly within minutes of doing so, a pigeon flew through the hatch down to the window to the seed. I was hiding under a worksurface keeping out of sight, so pulled on the string attached to the hatch blocking the escape route and Chris, who was hiding under the office table, jumped out and quickly netted the bird. After a check over the bird was is good enough condition to be released back outside. We then set about trying to find the second bird. Long ladders were used to check the rest of the ceiling, looked through various ceiling tiles, stood and listened for the sound of pattering feet but after two hours the second birds could not be seen or heard anywhere. Eventually, we left staff to keep their eyes and ears open for the second bird but as yet it hasn’t been found or heard. There is a video of the bird’s release on our You Tube Channel at https://youtu.be/mnZqgCokV44

Our young doves are certainly growing fast and it won’t be long before they are big enough to come to the Casualty Centre after their close care and attention by Kathy at home. She also had little Kam, a change from all the dovelets, found in the doorway of Kamsons Pharmacy in Uckfield. I think Kathy has reared most of his cousins and brothers and sisters as he is about the 6th she has had from that doorway over the last few years, as well as adults caught in the from the nearby shops too.

NEXT Store Pigeon

We have had a few calls about the swans at Hampden Park over the past week. Dad is now getting very territorial and the three remaining cygnets are being pushed away, and the parents want them to leave so they can start thinking about this year’s nest and youngsters. It is not uncommon for parents to attack and beat up their youngsters if they don’t leave. This is more frequently the case in parks where people feed swans as the youngsters don’t want to leave. Rescuers had to catch one of the three cygnets last week as it was being beaten up. At first, dad wouldn’t let the cygnets off the floating patch of ice. A few days later rescuers attended and had to catch the cygnet as Dad was chasing him around and beating him up. A rather shell-shocked cygnet was admitted to our Casualty Centre and given a few days rest and recuperation and on Tuesday he was taken to Princes Park and released into the non-territorial flock of swans. The young swan from Newick has now also been released too.

About Trevor Weeks

Trevor Weeks MBE
Operations Director for East Sussex Wildlife Rescue & Ambulance Service (WRAS)
Trevor started undertaking wildlife rescue and conservation work in 1985 when just 13 years old, and his life has been dedicated to the care of wildlife ever since. East Sussex Wildlife Rescue was established as a voluntary group in 1996 and became a registered charity in 2005. WRAS now has four veterinary ambulances and a Casualty Care Centre on the A22 between Hailsham and Uckfield capable of looking after up to 200 casualties at a time. The charity is primarily run by volunteers and relies of donations to fund its award winning life saving service.

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